F1104 Art and Exchange: Venice as a Center of the Art Global Market

\"Venice is inconceivable without its lagoon; it would not, could not, exist without its
lagoon.\" (UNESCO RAMSAR Report, 2004) This course will survey the artistic
accomplishments of Venice from the Byzantines through Giambattista Tiepolo by examining key topics relevant to the lagoon environment. To interpret Venice and its cultural achievements the course will scrutinize three themes in particular: environment, cultural heritage/tourism and early globalization.\r\n

To comprehend the environmental impact exerted upon the city and its inhabitants, an
evaluation of the lagoon\'s physical characteristics and its influence upon the development of the Venetian pictorial language will be considered. Among the topics to be addressed will be the \"floating\" environment with constant exposure to oscillating light sources, vulnerability to weather patterns affected painters not only in their choice of support, but also determined a fundamental interest in color. Environment will be addressed also with respect to the controversy of life on the lagoon in contemporary Venice, as well as environmental changes and economic development.

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Cultural heritage and preservation will be explored in the context of the history of tourism in the Veneto. To begin we will explore Padua and its relationship with Venice. The course shall consider the Scrovegni Chapel as a case study to examine how centuries of tourism affects and currently controls access to artistic environments. Lastly, the organizations such as the Biennale of Contemporary Art and UNESCO will also follow as contemporary topics of discussion as such entities seek to preserve Venice as a hub for cultural preservation and an international center for the global art market.

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This course will also chronicle Venice as a historic center of globalization serving an
international hub of trade since the seventh century. We begin with the birth of globalization with the ninth-century relic trade whereby cultures from the Eastern Mediterranean to Western Europe became integrated through a global network of communication, transportation, and trade, (or theft), in the case of St. Mark in Venice. The birth of artistic exchange begins when Titian sets his sights on the Venetian lagoon. Artistic exchange flourishes during the age of Titian when Venetian painters and architects alike are exposed to Central Italian art and ideas resulting in a new heroic manifestation. Through Titian\'s painted images of power and status, the early globalization of portraiture begins. By 1650 Venice appears as a starting point for the global art market which eventually reaches the New World.

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Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives
Students will develop a critical understanding of the history of art and architecture of Venice augmented by a consideration of core issues: environment, cultural heritage/tourism and early globalization addressed chronologically. The aim of this course is to provide an interdisciplinary approach to Venice addressing its cultural and aesthetic complexities.

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Evaluation Methods
Students will be required to perform in-class quizzes, a midterm, give a class presentation and final exam. Each student will be responsible to learn the images presented in classroom lecture and discussion in addition to on-site visits. Students will be required to give individual presentations which require outside research and will further explore the themes presented in class. These topics will be assigned by the instructor.